Turned Into A Monster
by RogueMetamorph
Summary: They were both odd in their own ways. He was the God of Mischief and Lies who spun tricks while she was the Goddess of Ice and Silence who was cloaked in both. Their oddness and love for magic brought them together while their friendship and silent love could not let them be torn apart. She was his weakness while he was her strength... Part of my Avengers series. OC/Loki.
1. Strange Bedfellows

**Turned Into A Monster**

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**Disclaimer:****I don't own **_**Thor**_** (the character, the movies, the comic books, the cartoons and etc.) which includes any of its characters, dialogue, story arc and etc. I also don't own any other book, movie, song or character I may have mentioned along the way. I just so happened to use it for non-profitable fun in my spare time.**

**Author's Note:**** If you've done research on the Norse Gods then you know that Marvel's version of the gods and goddesses differ greatly from the Norse version. Therefore, so are mine. Every character has a slightly different flavor or backstory from the original but know that all except Schona are real gods and goddesses from Norse mythology… ****ALSO this is going to be a part of a very long series. I plan on doing what Marvel did to the movies and have then all interconnected (which means were will be more Schona and Loki, more of Abigail and Tony, more with Georgia and Bruce and maybe even one with Clint and an OC...). ENJOY!**

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**Chapter 1 – Strange Bedfellows **

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Loki opened his eyes slowly, blinking tiredly as the sun peaked through the open balcony doors to his chambers. It was warm this morning, as it always was, even if the sheets had mostly slipped from his body some time during the night. He didn't mind it, nor did he mind the sun that had woken him.

He'd always been an early riser. If he didn't awaken before the sun rose above the horizon then he rose moments after the first rays kissed Asgard. It had always been the way he was; if he woke up earlier than any other then he would have the advantage.

He was the God of Mischief after all.

But this morning was different from most given the figure he could sense to his left. This wasn't the first occurrence of having a woman in his bed and usually he would wake up earlier than them to wait elsewhere until they vacated his chambers. However, this particular goddess was not one he thought so lowly of and was one of the few Loki relished having in his bed. While there were few people that Loki would never cross or use his mischief on, she was one of the few.

The Goddess of Ice and Silence had been an odd creation much like himself; born a child that was so alike to her father, God of the Sea, before her mother, Skadi, took her and buried her upon the coldest mountain in Jotunheim, six feet beneath the ice. This turned the tanned child with fiery hair into one of the palest skin and hair as pure white as untouched snow in the dead of the coldest winter. Schona had also from then on been the matron of Ice and Silence, rarely speaking to those around her while her touch was as cold as ice.

That oddness might have drove Loki away but he'd been young and the strangeness the two had was what drew them together at first. He had been alone just like her and they decided to be alone together. It was only later that their love of magic brought them to being each other's closest friend, confidant true friends and greatest allies. Loki would help her with her magic and she would remain silent after his tricks.

And now, many centuries later, they were lovers.

It wasn't anything romantic but only a need for physical touch that drove them together… at least that was what Loki was telling himself. The knowledge that she was sleeping not a foot from him didn't make his stomach flutter, the feel of her cool lips on his didn't make him smile and the feel of her skin beneath his fingertips didn't make him want more. When they were together he didn't find great accomplishment from drawing a breathy moan from her usually silent lips. He didn't feel less alone when she was by his side.

He didn't have such a weakness.

He frowned as his eyes turned to his left to look down at the pale figure beside him.

She was lying on her side facing towards him, her hair falling around her like an extra veil to keep his eyes from unwanted places. She wasn't touching him as was normal between the two of them, but she was still within his reach, a small dusting of ice crystals that shone in the morning light. She was beautiful like this; the miniscule scar at the corner of her eye just visible in the light, the faint freckles that dusted over the arch of her nose, her body naked save for the green silk sheet that was draped over her pale body and the white scarf still tied around her wrist.

He couldn't help it when his hand reached out to touch her. Usually he was a man with great restraint but with her all restraint went out the window. So he touched her, studying the curve of her hip, feeling the soft silk of her pale skin, feeling the shiver that went through her under his ministrations even in her sleep. She was cool to the touch, her skin sending tingles through his bones that registered in his spine. He pushed the veil of white waves off her shoulder and away from her face, revealing more of her face and glorious body to him.

He loved her strange hair.

His eyes returned to her to find that a pair of the palest blue eyes in the kingdom was studying him the same way he was observing her. He frowned at her, watching with interest as her hand reached towards him, cold fingers ghosting over his face, touching the wrinkles across his forehead and smoothing the line between his eyebrows. He instantly righted his expression, turning to a neutral face as her fingertips continued over him. They touched the skin beneath his eyes, his lips, his long neck and fell to his shoulder.

He knew she was waiting for him to speak but he enjoyed making her wait, having the feel of her hands on him. He kept his eyes on hers as she explored him, trying to ignore the shock of lust that tugged at his gut when her fingers touched his stomach. She was dangerous, this one, and that was part of the allure he felt to her.

In a move so graceful Schona almost missed it, he was above her, his arms bracing his weight around her whilst his face was a mere few inches from hers. His hand caressed her face, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone as his eyes examined her like an interesting bug. She smirked up at him, hitching one leg up around his hip to bring him closer.

Schona was never this forward. She was the Goddess of Silence and Ice after all, which were powerful forces but rarely so abrupt. However, with Loki, she felt like an entirely different person, like she could take over the world if she wished it. It was empowering to have someone so untouchable brushing his fingers along her hips, who allowed her to touch him anyway she wished to.

He made her feel powerful.

It had always been this way, even when they were children. She had felt like a creature amongst gods until Loki took interest in her. He'd shown her that she didn't have to be the lowest of strange or unusual. He introduced her to the magic she could now manipulate with the best of the magic wielding gods and creatures from other realms. He had even taught her the importance of the chosen word and the silence that she so loved. If you were silent and vigilant, you were more likely to gain knowledge and knowledge was more powerful than even Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.

In another flash of movement that she knew he hadn't expected, Loki was on his back. She grinned down at him with a mischievous expression, enjoying the dazed looked about him as he looked up at her. It only lasted for a moment however, before his hands reached up to pull her flush against him once more.

A knock made Schona jerk in surprise, her eyes wide as she sat up and turned to look to the door to Loki's chambers. With a wave of her hand she brought silence to the chamber, not allowing their heavy breathing or Loki's annoyed groan to be heard by the person who had interrupted them.

"_My prince, today is your brother's coronation_,"

The hands that gripped Schona's hips squeezed painfully, making her eyes turned to Loki's with a bit of pained annoyance. But he wasn't looking at her; instead he was glaring at the door in the cold way only he could manage. She frowned at him and waved her hand again, releasing the silence in the room for him to answer.

"_My prince?_"

"I'm aware of what day it is. I'll be up when I wish," he snapped, turning his face toward the wall. "Leave me,"

"_As you wish_,"

Schona listened to the footsteps that trailed away from Loki's chambers before she turned back to the god beneath her. His thoughts could have awoken the dead as his green eyes burned into the wall, not daring to look up at her.

"My brother will become King of Asgard today,"

Today every god and goddess of any standing would be clamoring to the palace in their best dress to gather within the walls of the palace to watch the coronation of their prince. This day was the long awaited day that Thor Odinson, God of Thunder, the eldest of the two princes was to be crowned King of Asgard and take over ruling the Nine Realms from Odin Allfather. However, this had been a point of tension between the two brothers for a very long time, even if Thor didn't realize it at all. Schona knew of the silent resentment that Loki held towards his brother despite his equally silent love for the God of Thunder.

However, the notion of having Thor as king still did not sit right with either of them. They both knew that Thor was not what was best for Asgard and Odin needed to either remain on the throne or find someone else to lead the people until Thor was truly ready to rule. The God of Thunder was brash and thoughtless ways would lead Asgard to destruction. The two could have seen the future of Asgard as if it were an illusion filling their gaze; all of Asgard rallied for the battle Thor had started, they would certainly win it with Thor at the head but they would lose many lives and whoever was the target of Thor's rage would be slaughtered. But it was too late to convey these thoughts to any who would listen.

Schona frowned at her friend.

"Thor will destroy us,"

"And you and I will be by his side," The sound of her voice shocked him into looking up at her. It was rare when she made any sort of audible sound, let alone spoke…

Loki huffed at her, waving her off.

Schona was used to this gesture whenever they differed in opinion, as if he was choosing to ignore her. It always amused her that Loki was willing to simply ignore her difference in opinion instead of destroying her like he did with everyone else. It was something had noticed even when she was very young, that she'd been a soft spot in Loki's armor. She never used it against him or made fun of him for it… most days she was sure he had no idea he had such a weakness to her.

She moved off of him, landing on her back beside him before she moved to slip from his bed to get ready for the day. She had her legs over the edge of the mattress when a pair of arms wrapped around her middle and a face pressed itself against her neck. She rolled her eye sat his antics, both knowing full well that she needed to leave before the whole palace was awake- which was mostly a lost cause anyway- and have enough to get dressed for the day. But he refused to let her out of the cage of his arms as his tongue traveled along the length of her neck.

She shivered- something she rarely did- and felt herself swaying both physically and mentally in her decision. Oh, if only the other gods and goddesses knew how right they were to call him the god with the silver tongue. Not only was he skilled physically but she could feel the tingling effects of his magic dancing across her sensitive skin, warming her skin in delicious ways.

Her hands touched his, ice building across the back of his wrist until he let out a hiss of pain. It wasn't cold enough to truly hurt him despite the surprised hiss that ran over the skin of her neck but it was enough for him to release her. She got up and turned to face him without letting go of the wrist. She leaned down blew a breath over the ice until it had disappeared, leaving behind pale skin that she kissed delicately in apologies.

He frowned at her like a child but they both knew it was time for their stay to end. So he let her leave him in his bed as she picked up her white dress, slipping into it and placing the sleeves upon her shoulders again. She then found her gem encrusted belt and clipped it around her narrow waist, finding her barrette beneath that which she returned to her hair. Last was her underwear before she turned to Loki who still remained in bed.

Illusion spells had always come easily for Schona but she'd never been able to use them in the same way that Loki often employed when he fought in battle. He could create a near seamless copy of himself while his true form materialized someplace else. It was one of his specialties that Schona simply couldn't manage. The one time she'd tried transporting herself across the expanse of the courtyard when she was younger, she'd lost feeling in half her body and lost most of her skin off of her right arm. The moment Skadi had learned of it, she'd forbid Schona from using magic which Schona ignored except when Skadi came to visit. Loki on the other hand had nursed her back to health and then forbid her from using any sort of transporting magic. This Schona agreed to instantaneously.

So this meant that she was going to be using the normal means of transportation to get to her room and she hoped that she would be-

A hand wrapped around her waist and turned her around to come face to face with the inky haired god, his clever green eyes shining at her. She caught a glimpse of his teasing smile before his lips met hers, dropping her eyes closed. She leaned into him, her skinning tingling as his hands moved over her back, the familiar feeling of his magic sparking around her. But then a fizzling feeling of magic wrapped itself around her, pulling at her, twisting her and ripping at her as she felt Loki disappear from her. She gasped in surprised at the terrible clench that came before her bare feet touched the slick marble of her bedchamber floor.

When she opened her eyes she found herself to indeed be in her own chambers which were blissfully empty.


	2. A Coronation to Remember

**Turned Into A Monster**

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**Chapter 2 – A Coronation to Remember**

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At the head of the great hall stood the royalty and those of the highest status in the realm of Asgard such as the Warriors Three, Sif and those of high lineage. This was why Schona stood between her mother and father in the front row, acting as the mediator between the two.

To her right stood the god of the Sea, Njord, a short man in comparison to nearly everyone he came in contact with. He was thick in the shoulders and low to the ground like the Dwarves in Nidavellir, even his with curling red hair and long bird represented the race. Schona had once been a likeness to her father when she'd been a small babe but her mother wouldn't have it.

Her mother stood to her right, the Goddes of Winter, born from the frosty storms of Jotunheim and come to Asgard to take her place among the gods. Skadi was the exact opposite to Njord, an incredibly tall and thin being with long white hair that was braided into a rope that brushed against the floor when she bowed her head. Her eyes, the strangest among the Asgardians, held no pupil, but where only white as she looked up at the Allfather.

Schona's own pale eyes remained to the front as well, but hers turned to another figure who watched her in kind as they waited.

He was a very tall and lanky male in comparison to the average god, with the inky black hair and clever green eyes he'd had since he was a child. He was also dressed in his formal attire, dressed in his typical dark green robes and golden armor, complete with his ceremonial helmet. She'd always found him handsome in his green and golden robes but today was a day for everyone to look their best and Loki did not disappoint.

Loki thought the same of Schona. Most would say that the goddess was easily one of the most ethereal women in Asgard. Her face was soft and slender, with her icy silver eyes shining out from it that could cut through iron if forced but were presently soft as she looked upon Loki. Her long white hair was intricately twisted though the longest pieces still reached the backs of her knees, the color even more pure than when she was a small child. Today she wore her best robes endowed with various white gems and soft blindingly white silks, a white fur shawl sent from her mother placed delicately around her shoulders. Schona only ever wore white to match her hair and eyes and Loki found the color beautiful on her.

Schona smiled at him despite the dark look that her mother gave her when she noticed the attention between them. Skadi had never approved of the relationship between the two which was one of the few things that she and her husband could agree on. Skadi nor Njord thought well of the mischievous prince that had once shaved the Lady Sif's head for mere sport. They both feared for what the prince would do to their own daughter if he thought it would suit him to turn his practical jokes on their Schona. However, despite many attempts to put a stop to it, they had only found that it took them father from their daughter.

A great roar brought everyone from their thoughts as they turned to look down the long aisle to find Thor approaching. The God of Thunder riled up the crowd as he went until he finally came to the foot of Odin's throne, removing his helmet as he knelt down. Odin looked on his son fondly before he stood slowly, slamming his scepter into the ground to silence the crowd.

"Thor Odinson, my heir, my firstborn,"

Schona discretely glanced up at Loki as he shifted uncomfortably.

"So long entrusted with the mighty hammer Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, its power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build. 'Tis a fit companion for a kind.

"I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms from the time of the great beginning. Though the day has come that another must take my place, and protect it and maintain the peace. Thor, Odinson, I call upon you to answer the call. Do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?"

"I swear," Thor answered.

"And do you swear to…"

Schona frowned as her attention moved elsewhere in the palace as the normal silence was suddenly interrupted. Her attention turned to a place that was far beneath her feet to a place she'd been only once before in her life. Loki had taken her to the Vault when they'd still been children searching for adventure among the bland life of the palace. He'd shown her everything within the Vault, told her stories of each artifact and had told her how he would one day be king.

Now, only intruders moved within the Vault.

Schona closed her eyes and she tilted her head just so, listening to the final breaths of the guards that had once guarded the Vault. She listened to the heavy footsteps of the intruders and the victorious roar that nearly knocked her off her feet.

"The Frost Giants!"

The resounding clap of the Scepter hitting the ground made Schona's eyes open, meeting Loki's green ones. She stared at him as Odin and Thor flew by her and the ground began to whisper in fear and curiosity. She only broke eye contact when he moved to follow his father and brother, her own parents guiding her away from the great hall.

It wasn't a surprise to Schona when the coronation was canceled. She said farewell to each of her parents separately, bidding them to visit her when they next had the time. She didn't believe they would but she never stopped offering. She then returned to the palace, watching as other were on their way out of the palace. She entered the upper halls of the palace as she watched the servants begin to clean up the forgotten decorations and clean up the unused dishes and uneaten food.

It was only when a great crash sounded through the halls of the palace that Schona felt the need to move along. She could hear Thor's rage across the palace even without the aid of her heightened hearing and gift over Silence.

However, Loki got to his brother first, finding the massive tables full of food and flowers overturned in Thor's rage. Loki waited until Thor finally stopped his seething and came to sit on the steps, his head in his hands before he glanced up as Loki came to sit beside him. Better not to poke a wild boar while it is still kicking.

"It is unwise to be in my company right now, brother,"

"Who said I was wise?"

Thor frowned, turning away from his brother, frustration building in his chest again. "This was to be my day of triumph,"

"It will come," Loki promised him, becoming more serious. "In time,"

"_Redecorating, are we?_"

The two men looked up as Sif, the Warriors Three and Schona entered the room. Sif and Fandral seemed amused by the sight of the over turned table while Hogun and Schona stood with worried looks. Volstagg on the other hand, loking positively heartbroken at the sight of the food lying untouched upon the floor before him.

"All this food, so innocent, cast to the ground… It breaks the heart,"

Schona chuckled at Volstagg as Fandral came up beside her, smiling along with her as if he were her friend. The closeness between them didn't seem to bother Schona all that much, listening as he jested with her over Volstagg.

Jealousy welled up in Loki's heart at the kind looks they shared and made him want nothing more than to use his magic on the smiling idiot so as to keep his hands away from Schona. Schona was far more superior to Fandral and Loki hoped that she knew that she could do better. She was intelligent and gifted along with her immense beauty, making her alike to the most beautiful work of art within Valhalla, whereas Fandral was more like a handsome piece painted upon a used napkin.

As Loki watched the two, Schona look over at him. At seeing the annoyance on his face, she frowned at him, silently asking him what the matter was.

Schona ignoring the handsome man to worry about Loki made him give her a smirk that she didn't understand. The knowledge that Fandral fell second gave him the power to turn away from the two and back to his seething brother.

"If it is any consolation," Loki began, speaking softly so no one else could hear, especially the all-hearing Schona. "I think you are right; about the Frost Giants, about Laufey, about everything. If a few of them could penetrate the defenses of Asgard once who's to say they will not try again, next time with an army?"

"Exactly,"

"But there is nothing we can do without defying Father,"

Thor suddenly stopped, realization coming to his eyes as he stood. "Yes. There is,"

"No. No, no, no… stop there! I know that look!"

"It is the only way to ensure the safety of our borders,"

"Thor, it is madness,"

"Madness?" Volstagg asked, looking up from his mountain of food saved from the ground and was piling onto a large plate. "What sort of madness?"

"It's nothing," Loki told him with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Thor was merely making a jest,"

"The safety of our realm is no jest," Thor argued down to his brother before turning to the rest of the people in the room. "We're going to Jotunheim,"

"What?!" everyone exclaimed at the golden haired god.

"Thor, of all the laws of Asgard, this is one you must not break,"

"This is not like a journey to Earth, where you summon a little lightning and thunder and the mortals worship you as a god. This is _Jotunheim_,"

"And if the Frost Giants do not kill you, your father will!"

"My father fought his way into Jotunheim, defeated their armies and took their Casket! We would just be looking for answers,"

"It is forbidden," Schona breathed, surprising most of the people in the room.

Thor laughed at them, sizing each of them up as he realized that it would be a bit harder than usual to convince them to join him. "My friends, have you forgotten all that we have done together?" He looked to Fandral pointing at him with a generous smile as he approached. "Who brought you into the sweet embrace of the most exotic maidens in all of Yggdrasil?"

Fandral grinned devilishly without a second thought. "Well… you helped a little,"

"And who led you into the most glorious of battles?"

"… You did," Hogun sighed with what his friends had deemed a smile for him.

Thor then turned to Volstagg who was still stuffing his face full of food. "And to delicacies so succulent you thought you'd died and gone to Valhalla?"

Volstagg couldn't help but grin brightly. "You did,"

Thor finally turned to Sif, who stood smirking at him, waiting her turn. "And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this Realm has ever known?"

"_I_ did,"

Thor frowned at her before he found his smile again. "… True. But I supported you, Sif,"

She just laughed at the man as Thor turned his eyes on little Schona who was eyeing his warily.

"And let us not forget dear little Schona. Tell me, who has protected you all these years, watched over you and been a friend to you?"

She smiled and pointed a delicate finger at Loki who sat grinning at his brother.

"Yes, well… I helped protect you as well," Thor argued before deciding to try another strategy on the silent goddess. "Then tell me, Schona. Who adores you more than anything in the realms?"

Everyone stared at Thor in shock while Loki was ready to murder his brother.

"My brother," Thor finished for her with a smile, walking over to slap Loki on the back. "And I know that he will use his silver tongue to persuade you to join us,"

Schona glared at Thor, hating him silently for scaring her so. Loki on the other hand was glaring at him for being so blatant with his own feelings.

"My friends, trust me now; we _must_ do this. Who will join us?"

The five looked up at the two princes, standing united to travel to a place few dared without an invitation, and even then Schaon's own mother rarely traveled to Jotunheim anymore. However, as they exchanged concerned glances, they all began to realize that their own loyalty held too much sway over their common sense.

"I will,"

"And I,"

"And I. The Warriors Three fight together,"

Schona placed a fist against her chest and bowed her in agreement. If Loki would go, she would follow him loyally.

Sif rolled her eyes at each of them, frowning. "I fear we will live to regret this,"

"If we are lucky," Volstagg murmured with a grin.

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**Author's Note: Who is your favorite of the Warrior's Three? Who is your favorite love interest for Thor?**


	3. A Land of Ice

**Turned Into A Monster**

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**Chapter 3 – A Land of Ice**

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Schona's feet settled into the frozen snow of Jotunheim as the flash of light from the Bifrost died away to nothing. It did not surprise her that the realm was dark but she found that it took a long moment before her eyes could see the frozen plains, the colossal stalagmites and the desolate mountains in the distance. Entering the winter realm sent an exited chill down her spine that only the sea could match but also was accompanied by the pain of the blistering sun. The sight of the winter realm, the howling winds and the frozen chill that clung to her body arms all made her feel at home.

Schona pushed back her fur-lined cloak so that her arms were touched by the cold, her long white hair lifting from the wind. She wouldn't have worn the cloak except that she found anyone besides her mother thought it was odd that she not wear anything against the cold. It unnerved them so she acted accordingly.

"It is beautiful here,"

The group all turned to her slowly, confusion written across their brows except for Volstagg who shrugged in response. "This from the princess of Winter,"

Hogun frowned. "We shouldn't be here,"

"Too late now," Thor murmured, his eyes on the Jotun city in the distance.

"Actually, it's not," Fandral smiled, putting his arm about Schona with a grin. "We could turn right around, hop back to Asgard, share a mug by the fire. Could be nice,"

Schona's cheeks turned blue and a shy giggle fell from her mouth, drawing Loki's eye. The sight of Fandral smiling happily at the feat he'd accomplished made the God of Mischief want to send the idiot off the side of the cliff. However, being a man of great restraint, he discreetly waved his hand just as a great gust of wind howled around them. The wind tossed the god's hair, making him let go of Schona to quickly brush it back into place. Loki smiled until his eyes caught on Schona who turned a raised eyebrow at him. She might not have been able to feel the glare he'd turned on Fandral but she had certainly felt his magic.

Thor just ignored them and headed off towards the distant city.

"Perhaps we _should_ wait," Loki suggested, getting an annoyed look from Thor. "To survey the enemy… to gauge their strengths and weaknesses from a distance,"

"I'm liking that," Volstagg put in with a smile, nodding enthusiastically. "Gauging, surveying. Particularly the distance part,"

"We know all we must. It's time to _act_," Thor told them firmly, leaving them to follow as he continued on towards his destination.

Silence descended once more as the group followed Thor across the ice fields. They fell into a line as they traveled across the varying width of ice shelves, sometimes having Schona using her gifts to reinforce the ice. Loki remained at Schona's back, frowning at as he watched her face grow less and less responsive and the color in her skin disappear. It was not unusual for her to become stoic and cold when they traveled to the colder places of the realms, however this was the Realm of Winter. When they'd traveled into her mother's domain in Asgard many years back, she'd become so silent that even Loki could not trick a smile from her whilst there. He wondered what might happen if she stayed here for too long, how much she would change from the Schona he'd known from childhood.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Thor suddenly asked, shocking them all with the sudden question in the midst of the uncomfortable quiet. "To be together again, adventuring on another world?"

"Adventuring?" Fandral shivered. "Is that what we're doing?"

"What would _you_ call it?"

"Freezing," Fandral.

"Starving," Volstagg.

"Whining," Sif.

"Subversion," Hogun.

Thor let out a loud belly aching laugh.

Schona's thoughts traveled as she walked, keeping the only slight heat of Loki's body in close contact with hers to keep her from traveling too far. Thoughts of meeting the Jotuns weighed heavily on her shoulders as they grew closer, silently hoping that all would go well but knowing that it wouldn't. If they were to meet the Jotuns, Thor would be looking for a fight at any chance he had. Fighting energy was all that Thor ever seemed to exude, the energy to go and do.

Maybe she or Loki could do something to stop it? Maybe Loki could use his silver tongue to convince the Jotuns to tell Thor what he wanted to know? Maybe Loki and her could manage to encase Thor in some sort of magical barrier to keep him from doing anything brash? Could her mother's ties to the Jotuns be enough to stop anything violent happening or possibly cause them to forgive whatever it is that Thor says to them? The hopes died in her mind as they came to her. She knew that there was enough tension between Asgard and Jotunheim that all it would take to start a war was to stir the pot. Schona would simply witness the first blow.

A hand touched her elbow and she looked up into Loki's eyes. They had reached the city.

The Jotun city was surrounded by a great wall of thick ice with a door of the same make that blocked them from entering. Both wall and door looked to have been built long ago and seemed as if there had been a terrible battle that had frosted over to the point that there was no hopes of removing the debris and fixing the damage. It caused the whole group to go silent in unrest while Schona marveled at the structure that was made of her own element.

"Where are they?" Sif whispered, glancing around nervously.

"Hiding," Thor answered bitterly. "As cowards always do,"

"You are quick to judge," Schona spoke smoothly, the only bite being in the words themselves. Everyone looked at her in surprise until they remembered where her own mother had first appeared from. Jotunheim was just as much an ancestral home to her as Asgard was. "The war ended long ago,"

Thor laughed a hearty laughed that started in his chest. "You would fight me on this?"

Schona shook her head.

Thor frowned at her, annoyance sitting on his brow. "You should know your place, Schona. I am the soon-to-be King of Asgard while you are an almost-Jotun," He turned away from her, his arms crossing as his hammer hung from his wrist. "I hear your advice but I will choose to ignore it. You should chose to embrace your powers as a Goddess instead of sympathizing with Frost Giants,"

The group stared at Thor in shock. It sounded like a diplomatic answer but in truth it had merely been an insult hidden by kind words and the voice of a friend. It made Schona frown up at him, stripping off her coat to toss on the ground. She watched him shiver but she just glared at him, walking up until they were chest to chest.

"You would _not_ make a good king,"

She didn't stand around to wait for what he would say next. Instead, she walked past him and towards the city, letting silence settle over her as she walked towards her goal.

"_What is your business here, Asgardian?_"

Schona's footsteps came to a shuttered stop as a Jotun sentry appeared from the shadows, his blood red eyes trained on her petite white form. She shouldn't have been surprised by his appearance but she'd been thinking about Thor and hadn't heard him. This Frost Giant was easily twice her size and width, the width of his forearm probably the same width as her waist. The color of his skin was shocking, a deep blue that she'd only seen on the dead that her and her mother came upon in the mountains, and even then the Frost Giant's was much richer and darkened. His skin was also marred with scars that could not have been created in battle, but rose up like embroidery in tapestries and had the look of ceremonial tattoos. But his eyes were what held her gaze. It was as if the same blood that coursed through her veins traveled behind his eyes, glowing with warmth that Schona did not think they possessed.

"I-"

It was then that Thor stepped in front of her, Mjolnir settled into his grip as he glared at the sentry. "I speak only to your King, _not_ to his foot soldiers,"

"_Then speak_,"

Schona's eyes moved to the turret above the great door into the city as King Laufey stepped out form the darkness. Like his sentry, his eyes were shining blood red from the shadows and his skin was a deep blue. However, King Laufey still differed greatly and it made him all the more intimidating to Schona as she studied him. The king had far more ceremonial scarring across the expanse of his chest and face, raised over his skin in dark and angry patterns. On the crown of his head were also ridges of bone that looked as if it were a made crown but Schona could see that it had grown up from his skull. Even though she knew that King Laufey was not to tallest of his race, he still had a majesty to him that the rest of the Jotuns did not.

"I am Laufey, king of this realm…"

Schona watched as his eyes moved over their small group, not taking more than a few seconds with each of the Warriors Three and Sif. However, when they touched on Thor and Loki, his expression soured greatly. He knew as well as she did what would occur today before they left. However, when his eyes turned on her, they lightened greatly, seeming to be very pleased to see a girl he'd never met before.

"Schona Skadison, Goddess of Ice and Silence," he greeted, bowing his head to her though his eyes never left hers. "We certainly know who you are. Your mother came many years back with a small babe in her arms that looked like a Goddess of Frost. It was an honor to hold you in my arms and it is a pleasure now to lay eyes on a friend… no matter if they are Jotun or otherwise,"

Schona bowed her head to him in respect.

"And then the Odinsons," King Laufey growled, his eyes moving from Loki to Thor with varying harshness. This only served to make the grip Thor had on Mjolnir tighter. "One of tricks, the other of smashing… but both of death. Why have you brought the stench of your blood into my world?"

"I demand answers,"

In a flash King Laufey's demeanor changed from calm leader to enraged warrior. "You _demand_? One does not demand _anything_ of me in my own realm. Least of all an Odinson,"

"King Laufey of Jotunheim," Schona interrupted, stepping between the two brothers to stand at the head of their group, holding a fist to her chest and keeping her head down. She ignored the angry shuffling sound behind her and the burning at the back of her neck from Thor's glare. She needed to keep things civil which meant that now was not the time to be gracious to the spoiled prince at her back. So she spoke, her vocal chords straining from their lack of use. "I know that I have no right… but I humbly beseech you to answer the questions of these two princes. We have come here merely for answers, not for blood,"

She kept her eyes down as she waited for him to speak, feeling the ice shifting beneath her feet as if the ice itself was waiting for his next words.

"You may continue, Lady Schona,"

Now she raised her eyes to his, meeting the Jotun's blood red gaze carefully as she continued her speech; "Thank you, King Laufey… Just this morning, Jotuns broke into the Weapons Vault of the Allfather's palace… the princes have come to ask if you have any knowledge of this,"

Those of Schona's party, mainly Thor, assumed that the king was finished speaking to them when he didn't. Thor frowned, pushing forward to stand beside Schona, glaring up at the turret, his eyes harsh and rebellious.

"How did your people get into Asgard?!"

The king glared at the boorish prince before he answered; "The house of Odin is full of traitors,"

These words had Sif and the Warriors Three exchanging a puzzled looks to each other, disturbed by the Jotun king's words but not willing to speak. Loki and Schoan on the other hand remained stoic in their expressions. They both knew that a reaction was what the frost king wanted from them.

And Thor gave it to them. "Do not dishonor my father's name with your lies!"

"Your father is a murderer and a thief!" King Laufey growled down at him. "And why have you come here? To make peace? You long for battle, you _crave_ it. I see you for what you are, Thor Odinson, nothing but a boy, trying to prove himself a man,"

"This _boy_ has grown tired of your mockery," Thor bit out dangerously, taking a step forward as Frost Giants suddenly surrounded them, waiting for the inevitable battle.

However, Loki stepped in, stopping his brother with a hand and a warning. "Thor. Stop and _think_. Look around you; we are outnumbered,"

"Know your place, brother," Thor bit out.

"You should listen to his counsel. You know not what your actions would unleash…" The King's eyes grew unfocused as his thoughts carried him where the group could not see, his face showing nothing but sorrow for something long lost and pain. "… But I do," After a long moment, he looked back at the Asgardians and waved a dismissive hand at them. "Go now, while I still allow it,"

Thor was shaking with anger but Loki quickly grabbed him as Schona stepped in front of Thor and bowed low to the Jotun king. "You are most kind to us, King Laufey of Jotunheim… I offer my sincerest wishes that you fare well in the coming times. I am sure my mother would say the same,"

King Laufey bowed his head back to her in return.

With that the others began to walk away as Loki and Schona tried to pull Thor away, turning him around and getting him walking.

"_Run back home, little princes_,"

Thor stopped with a smile while the others sighed.

"Damn,"

In one quick move, Mjolnir appeared in Thor's hand as he spun around, knocking Schona aside when she would have gotten in the way. The hammer swung up like an uppercut, knocking the Jotun clear across the plaza and beginning the fight.

The Asgardians reluctantly drew their weapons and gathered into a circle around Thor, ready for battle. Sif twirled her staff twice, Volstagg pulled out his battle axe, Fandral readied his sword, Hoggun swung his mace once and Loki let the throwing knives appear against his palms. Schona muttered a few words to herself as an iridescent quiver of arrows appeared against her back and a curved bow appeared in her hands. A few more words and three snow white wolves appeared at her side, her companions given to her by her mother; Is, Snö and Kall. Her comrades looked down in surprise as their soft fur touched their sides and the animals growled a warning to the approaching Jotuns.

A thick mist suddenly appeared around them, thicker than cream and twice as hard to see through. Everyone backed up into each other as Volstagg and Sif waved their weapons to try to dispel the fog but it only seemed to grow worse.

"Loki, we have to see!"

Loki quickly raised his arms, concentrating as the fog slowly disappeared, swirling away and revealing the many faces of the Frost Giants.

"Actually, could you bring the mists back, please?" Volstagg murmured to him.

Frost Giants came at the Asgardians mercilessly, swinging at them with fists of ice and weapons of sheered black stone. It didn't take long before the Asgardians were separated across the battlefield, Frost Giants raining down on the from above. Schona stayed off to the side to the side as soon as she realized that the Frost Giants were blatantly ignoring her as a fighter among the Asgardian group. She took advantage of this, notching arrows and firing at the Frost Giants that came after Loki, Thor, Sif or any of the Warriors Three. Her hunting wolves went to battle as well, digging fang and claw into the vulnerable flesh of the Frost Giants.

As time raced by, Schona could see that they were fighting and winning the battle but she knew this couldn't last long. They did not have the advantage of home territory or an advantage in numbers, even if they were well endowed with fighting skills and power. It seemed as if Frost Giants were appearing out of nowhere and as one Frost Giant fell, five more appeared to take his place.

Ice daggers suddenly flew at her and Schona barely had time to mutter a spell which made her body shimmer, the ice daggers passing through her as if she'd become mist. The Frost Giant that had flung them stared for a second in shock before the mist that was Schona settled and an arrow met his exposed neck.

"Don't let them touch you!"

Schona spun around as one of her wolves- Kall- growled and jumped past her, letting loose an arrow into the eye of Frost Giant just as he slashed at her with his iced over hand. Kall took the brunt of the attack but the dissipation of Schona's magic that made up the wolf allowed the Frost Giant to turn his attention thoroughly on her again. With an arrow to the eye, he still fought well, swiping at Schona as she ducked and dived around him. She tried to let loose as many arrows as she could in rapid succession but the heavy Frost Giant would not go down. By the time he looked like a pincushion, Schona was out of breath and had a fair amount of her own wounds.

"_Duck!_"

The silent goddess dropped as a wave of magically generated fire flew over her head. The fire hit the Jotun in the chest and knocked him several hundred yards, leaving behind a roar and the smell of burnt flesh. She stood and smiled over at Loki in thanks, only to watch as a Jotun came running at him.

As quick as the lightening that Thor commanded she fired an arrow, watching it fly inches from Loki's cheek and hitting the Frost Giant in the shoulder, knocking him to his knees with a grunt. This gave Loki enough time materialize one of his throwing knives into his hand and stab it into the Jotun's heart. However, Schona's heart stopped as she watched the Jotun's hand latch onto Loki's arm. She fired an arrow instantly, hitting the Jotun right between the eyes and getting him to let go of Loki. Schona watched as Loki just stood there and stared down at the arm that she couldn't see.

She would have run to him except that she heard a pained yelled that did not belong to a Frost Giant that had her spinning in fear. Not far from her, she could see Fandral impaled by an ice stalagmite, nearly piercing his heart. She quickly raced to him, firing arrows at oncoming Frost Giants as Is and Snö protected her vulnerable back. Once she reached him, she and her wolves fought off other Frost Giants that dared to try to get past her to Fandral as Volstagg appeared by his side.

"That's unfortunate," Fandral gasped. "Not a good look, is it?"

"Just try not to bleed," Volstagg told him as Hogun suddenly appeared as well, helping Volstagg remove Fandral from the stalagmite with a grunt.

"How's the face?" Fandral moaned, still managing a smirk.

"Flawless,"

That's when they all heard a foreboding cracking of the ice beneath their feet and the sudden shift in the icy air.

"That can't be good,"

"Yes, it could!" Volstagg smiled, throwing Fandral over his shoulder. "Might be an early spring!"

Schona fired arrow after arrow at oncoming Jotuns, trying to keep up to the speed that the Jotuns were approaching. The rapid succession ended when she fired an arrow into the heart of a Frost Giant and turned just as another appeared to her left. Before she could pull another arrow, the Jotun kicked her like a child's ball, his foot meeting her delicate body with a sickening smack. Schona went hurtling across the courtyard until she came to an abrupt stop when her back hit the icy barricade of the wall. As she met the ground with a painful slap, the magic of her quiver and wolves dissipating into a heavy white mist before disappearing completely.

"Schona!" Loki roared, changing directions and suddenly transporting across the battlefield to her side. He could see the blood trickling from various cuts but he knew that all of those were now insignificant to the sickening crunches he'd heard emanate from her body.

She was dying.

"Thor, we must go!" Loki screamed at he lifted Schona into his arms, running away without looking back at his brother or his comrades.

"Then go!" Thor shouted back, fighting off Jotuns mercilessly.

They all looked up at the sudden roar as ice shards went flying everywhere to see a large beast coming out of hibernation, red bloodthirsty eyes trained on them.

"_RUN!_"

No one had to be told twice. The small group ran as fast as they could away from the Jotun city, their wounded in their arms as they ran for their lives. As they ran, they could all hear the loud roars and feel the thuds of the running creature beneath their feet, coming to kill them until a loud clash of thunder and lightning crashed down back at the city. Everywhere the ice began to give way, the creature falling through as the Asgardians continued on, outrunning the failing ice until they came to the edge of the of a cliff where they skidded to a stop, glancing back at the army that would soon be upon them.

"_Heimdall!_ Open the bridge!"

Suddenly, a large paw came up over the edge, making them all jump back in shock as the creature they had thought had fallen through the ice appeared before them. Everyone stepped back as the beast emerged, giving a great roar as it readied to finish them. But before it could, a figure flew through the air, into the creature's open mouth and through its head. The creature gave a moan before it collapsed to the ground, its body falling off the edge of the cliff as Thor landed before them with a victorious grin on his face.

Then Thor's face changed as he looked past his friends, seeing the enormous army of Frost Giants surrounding them, King Laufey himself leading them. The Asgardians all turned before stepping as far back as they could, the Frost Giants grinning like a sadistic predator looking down at its cornered prey.

As the Frost Giants moved in for the kill, a deafening roar and the sound of thundering hooves stopped them all in their tracks. The sky opened up and light poured down from the sky, revealing the Odin Allfather on the height of ice behind the Asgardians, astride his powerful, eight-legged steed Sleipnir, clad in battle armor, Gungnir in his hand. At his side stood Skadi, an incredibly tall and thin being with long white hair and completely milky white eyes, wearing soft animal skins.

"Father!" Thor bellowed happily, raising Mjolnir. "We'll finish them together!"

"Silence!" Odin hissed at his son, gaining a confused and disappointed look from Thor as he lowered Mjolnir to his side.

The ice beneath King Laufey's feet shifted, raising him toward the Allfather until the two rulers were both face-to-face. Skadi bowed deeply to the Jotun king who returned it with a bow of his head and an extended hand which she took. To the surprise of the Asgardians, it did not burn her skin.

As King Laufey turned his attention away from Skadi, the Goddess of Winter turned her attention to the small group of Asgardians. At the sight of her dying daughter she let out an unearthly shriek, letting loose the winds of winter around them. Until Odin placed a hand on her shoulder to sooth her, no one could see a foot in front of their face because of the raging snow. But the wind died as Skadi jumped from her perch with a nimbleness that set her in front of Loki, ripping her daughter from his arms as gently as she could manage.

She then turned on King Laufey. "_You_ did this,"

King Laufey lowered his eyes in shame. "I never wished to harm you or yours, Skadi. You are the gem of our land and she is a crystal no matter what you two are by blood. We did not attack her until necessary to do so and I apologize that it became necessary,"

Skadi hissed at him, crouching like an animal and ready to strike. The only thing that kept her from doing so was her daughter resting in her arms.

"Skadi," Odin hissed. "Take Schona. _Go_,"

Skadi hissed on last time as she looked upon King Laufey. "If this comes to a war, Jotun, I will not choose you,"

The frost king nodded. "Understood,"

Skadi turned and disappeared into a torrent of snow and ice crystals.


	4. Cursed

**Turned Into A Monster**

* * *

**Chapter**** 4 – Cursed**

* * *

Schona felt herself slowly awakening as the cold began to seep through her skin, the ice rectifying what had been broken and hurt. This wasn't a process that she was unfamiliar with, having packed her hands in eyes many times when magic had burned or broken her fingers. Within an hour the ice had healed her, leaving behind hands that looked unblemished despite the pain she'd once felt. However, this time would take a great deal longer than simple burns or broken fingers. This time her entire body needed to heal itself before she could return to full awareness and to Asgard.

But she knew without full understanding that Loki needed her. She wasn't sure how she could feel the confusion and pain that roiled within him, she only knew that he needed her.

So she called upon her magic and felt her awareness transported away from her body to the realm of Asgard. Her gift of Silence allowed her to find the absence of it, finding the Loki, Sif and the Warriors Three sitting around a fire within the palace. Fandral sat on the floor closest to the fire burning in the center of the room, a cold having settled over him ever since being wounded. Volstagg on the other hand sat with a plate of food, watching as Hogun readied a balm for his frost bitten arm. She remained invisible to their eyes though she would have expected Loki to have sensed her magic in the room. Instead, he stood staring down at his hands, lost in thought.

"We should never have let him go," Volstagg suddenly exclaimed from his seat, putting what everyone had been thinking into words.

"There was no stopping him,"

"At least he's only banished and not dead," Fandral argued, surprising Schona with the news that Thor was no longer of Asgard. Had Odin finally seen what only Loki and her had been able to for so many years? Even if Thor had a good heart, his ego was too large in comparison. "Schona wasn't even so lucky-"

"We don't know that she's dead," Loki bit out at them, wringing his hands.

Silence fell over them at the thought of their fallen comrade. It was true that they hadn't heard anything from Odin or Skadi about Schona's condition. For all they knew, she could have been laughing with Skadi in Jotunheim about how silly they'd all look when she returned. Dead or alive, pitying glances were thrown Loki's way. Everyone knew that the two were very close, close enough to be romantically involved if the God wasn't such a no nonsense loner.

"Well… the lot of us is lucky that guard told Odin where we'd gone,"

The large red head bellowed again, irritated by the pain in his arm. "How did the guard even know?"

"I told him,"

Everyone turned to stare at Loki for his declaration, shock plain on their faces with a hint of disbelief and betrayal. Only Schona had any sign of knowing this to be true. She'd seen him stop in front of one of the palace guards before they'd left, speaking in hushed tones before the guard ran off. She'd expected as much and hadn't dared to stop him.

"What?"

"I told him to go to Odin after we'd left," he repeated, frowning towards the ground. "He should be flogged for taking so long. We should have never reached Jotunheim,"

"_You_ told the guard?!"

"I saved our lives… and Thor's," Loki defended, trying to explain himself to an upset Volstagg. "I had no idea Father would banish him for what he did,"

"Loki," Sif breathed, standing from her seat to approach him. "You must go to the Allfather and convince him to change his mind,"

"If I do, then what?" Loki challenged, surprising the woman into silence. "I love Thor more dearly than any of you but you know what he is; he's arrogant, he's reckless, he's dangerous. You saw how he was today. He nearly got Schona and Fandral killed!" Loki exclaimed. "Is that what Asgard needs from his king?"

The five watched as Loki left the room, silently wondering.

"He might speak of the good of Asgard," Sif began, turning to the Warriors Three. "But he's always been jealous of Thor,"

Volstagg frowned, uncomfortable with the possibility that the God of Mischief had had ill intentions all along. "We should be grateful to him. He saved our lives,"

"Laufey said there were traitors in the House of Odin," Hogun reminded them, saying what no one else wanted to put into words. "A master of magic could bring three Jotuns into Asgard,"

Fandral waved them all off, done with such heavy talk. "Loki has always been one for mischief but you are speaking of something else entirely,"

Then who was a suspect?

Schona's spectral form frowned as she thought on such things.

What King Laufey said to them while in Jotunheim had been meant to draw a reaction. It was meant to make them doubt without reason when they should be trusting. However, Loki was a viable possibility. Everything she knew about Loki's magical capabilities told Schona that he was one of the best suspects for what had occurred earlier that day. Loki was also devious enough to be about to convince Thor to go to Jotunheim and then get into trouble with the Allfather. But even if Loki had played his tricks on Thor, Schona had to admit that it was not for the worse. She knew without a doubt that Thor would not have made a good king. A king must be a king both in peace times and war times. Thor was a warrior, not a diplomat and would not listen to anyone to help him. Thor would lead have led Asgard into war within his first season of ruling… And he made a questionable leader in battle at the best of times. The fact that the entire Asgardian group had survive despite his decisions were not attributed to his ability to protect them on the field.

Even if Sif's suspicions were right, Schona did not find fault in them.

Schoan left the room, her thoughts hanging just as heavily on her as her aches and pains with each moment she was a world away from her crushed body. She had to keep her mind away from Loki at least until she could get to him to speak with him. He'd then tell her the truth of his plans and she would no longer had to worry about the questions she had. However, as she moved silently down the halls, she could hear the distinct sound of ice crystals forming on the walls and floor in her wake.

She just needed to stay calm and speak with Loki.

"She is in Jotunheim with her mother,"

Schona tilted her head, letting the pull of Heimdall's voice take her to the edge of the Bifrost where both he and Loki stood.

"The ice and the cold will heal her quickly. She will be well soon," the guardian continued without having to be asked. He then stopped, seeming to debate on what he should say next, turning his eyes to the youngest Odinson. "… She has asked for you,"

Schona might have blushed had she been in her body, silently cursing Heimdall for revealing that bit of information to the God of Mischeif. However, this seemed to put Loki at some ease as he turned to the guardian with a grateful look.

"Thank you, great Heimdall,"

She moved through the palace silently, keeping her distance from Loki. She didn't want him to know she was with him yet, if he didn't know already. She watched his determined trek deeper and deeper into the palace, following him to the Weapon's Vault where he bid the guards to leave him before he went in. She moved through the closed doors like a ghost from Hela's realm, materializing at the top of the stairs, watching Loki's back as he stood on the other side of the Vault.

Loki's heart skipped a beat as he felt her magic behind him. No matter what- her illusions filling his mind's eye, the chill of it across his skin, the buzz from across a battlefield- Loki would always recognize the caress of her magic. The feel of it made him straightened though he showed no other signs of having been taken by surprise. Instead he stood with his back to her for a long moment, his hands at his sides.

"You're alive?"

Silence.

"Go away, Schona,"

He had hoped that she would listen to him this one time. He wanted nothing more than to be alone when he touched the Casket. He couldn't stand the thought of his worst nightmares coming to fruition with her by his side. He couldn't see the fear in her eyes if he was right. The last thing he needed was to lose the love his best friend had for him, to lose her entirely for what was happening to him.

The ripple of her magic warmed his back but it felt more like a burn. She was behind him now, her stubborn nature making Loki's frustration grow. Of course she would not leave him when he asked it of her. In the years that she'd known him, he'd never needed her but she'd always been there anyway. Now was no different.

"I said _leave_,"

"Loki-"

Finally rage boiled up in him; a disastrous mix of his frustration at not being able to get her to leave him in peace, fear of what was happening to him, pain over the thought of losing her. He couldn't keep his emotions bottled up and for the first time, he took his anger out on her.

"_Schona! __**Go!**_"

He could practically feel the shock and fear rolling off of her, could practically feel the emotions crashing like waves against his back. Schona didn't frighten easily and she had _never_ been frightened of him. But she was now. The knowledge almost made Loki turn around to take her into his arms and ward off the fear he'd caused. He almost wanted to take back everything and allow her to stay with him when he touched the Casket to find out his fate. Almost. He didn't because he knew that she'd forgive for yelling at her… but he couldn't take back whatever she witnessed of him.

"No,"

Loki growled at her, clenching his hands into fists at his eyes, keeping his back to her. "_Fine!_ Remain in my presence at your own risk, you _imbecile!_"

Without a second thought, he reached out and took up the Casket. There was a moment of silence that surrounded him, his hands clenched on the cold metal as the painful bite of ice and magic touched his hands. The pain of the cold almost gave him relief until the pain began to die away into a cool caress of blue that began to crawl up his fingers, over his hands and up his arms.

It was an expertly done illusion if he could say so, something that he'd never noticed about himself even after so many millennia. Even as a babe he'd been a lie, the title of the God of Lies only being that. He'd been lied to, his skin a black lie for years, his parents two figures that had always been there to reinforce it. Not only had he been a black sheep in the family for years, but he'd been a monster among gods.

"Tell me, Schona… do you remember the stories that Odin used to tell us late at night? The stories with monsters that crept from the dark?"

Schona frowned in confusion until Loki finally turned to face her. The man that stood before her no longer had the appearance that she'd grown used to over the many centuries that they had known each other. No longer was he the impish child with clever green eyes, no longer the man with silky ink black hair and a devilish smirk. The normally ashen color of his skin had changed to a frosty blue that she tried not to recognize, contrasting dangerously to what she knew. His very skin had changed, the smooth contours now lines with thick tattoo-like scars along his chin and forehead in a fashion that she'd seen before. All of this she might have forgiven except that his beautiful, clever, green eyes she knew so well were suddenly gone, replaced with ones that were not the eyes of her friend. Blood red orbs shined out from the blue face, small black pupils looked down at her carefully, watching her every move.

Schona felt her magic shutter at her shock and fear. Her normally calm, serene face was overcome with a sudden look of shock at seeing his new appearance. She couldn't hide what she was feeling from him now any more than she could in any other time in her long life. She could tell that it hurt him even as his expression stayed dangerously neutral.

"Will you say nothing?" he snapped at her in a voice so quiet only Schona could have heard. "Is the Goddess of Silence to proud to speak to one such as me? A cursed god? A monster?"

Schona felt tears come to her eyes, feeling his pain pulling at her own heart. Over the many centuries that she'd known Loki, he rarely showed his true emotions to anyone. It was only with her and his mother than he gave the privilege and curse to. Now she couldn't help it as she stepped toward him, reaching out to touch him, to comfort him. Her hand breezed past the skin of his cheek and continued through, much to their shock until they remembered that she wasn't actually there with him. She frowned at him, her eyes glistening with tears that matched his own.

"Am I cursed?" he whispered to her, desperate for her answer.

She shook her head. "No,"

The way her voice held no question, how she'd given him her answer without hesitation… it almost hurt him more than her revulsion would have been because this reaction gave him hope.

"Then what am I, Schona?" he asked her, as if she had all of the answers that he needed. "I am the monster parents tell their children about at night, a wolf in black sheep's clothing. My father has lied to me for years, chosen Thor over me time and time again. I've never been good enough! Now that I can finally put a name to the reason… it is the single worst thing that could occur,"

When she said nothing he turned away from her, glaring down at the Casket of Ancient Winters, hating the artifact with his entire being. It was the bane of his existence, the proof he'd needed to know the truth and now he hated it for the lie it had exposed. He hated it because she had been here with him to see the hideous truth; he was the hated race that he and Thor had once vowed to destroy.

They were so similar; the Casket and Schona. Both had the power to end him and both remained so painfully silent while watching him unravel.

"_I AM A FROST GIANT!_" Loki roared as he wheeled on her again, his magic ripping around him like a deadly cloak. Schona's frame visibly shuttered against it, her eyes closing with a wince before she looked up at him again with no fear. He hated that. "I am a Frost Giant, Schona. _Why deny this fact?_"

"I do not deny it,"

He frowned at her, watching as she stepped towards him again, keeping his gaze.

"You are a Frost Giant… but you are also Loki, God of Mischief and Chaos," She looked upon his face, a soft smile gracing his face that made his stomach turn with a fluttering. Her eyes met his again, the palest blue meeting the green that his hand been for a millennia. "You have not changed,"

"_What is this?_"

The booming voice forced the two apart to look up to the entrance of the Weapons Vault where a lone figure stood. Odin frowned at them, knowing full well what he had not been able to keep his son from learning about himself. There was nothing the Allfather could do to make Loki unseen what was happen before his eyes.

The Allfather sighed, deeply tired, knowing that he would have to answer for his lies. He turned his eyes to the woman who was not truly there with a strained smile. "Leave us, Schona, please-"

"No!" Loki roared, stepping towards his father, putting himself between him and her. "She will stay and you will answer my questions-"

"Loki,"

He looked back at the woman with a frown, seeing her discomfort as she looked between his so-called father and himself. He knew then that she didn't want to be here any longer, that she wanted to listen to the Allfather and fade away from him. He couldn't allow that when he needed her so much.

"Don't go," he begged quietly, reaching a hand toward her. "… I want you to stay,"

"This is between you and your father," she told him softly, stepping away from him with her eyes lowered. "I will return to you,"

With that promise, her form dissolved into a cloud of ice crystals and mist, touching his skin before fading from the room completely.

Loki's eyes turned from their soft gaze to look up at the Allfather with a look of anger. "The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?"


End file.
